Adrián Suar: The Life Story Behind Argentina's TV Star

Adrián Kirzner Schwartz was born on 25 March 1968 in Queens, New York, in the United States, to Argentine parents, and he was raised in Buenos Aires, the city that would become the centre of his life and his work. His family returned to Argentina when he was a child, and he grew up in the capital, in a Jewish family, with a love of theatre and television that began early. He became Adrián Suar, one of the most powerful figures in Argentine entertainment, an actor, a producer, and the founder of Pol-ka, the production company that has made some of the most popular television in Argentine history. He is also, for many years, the man who decided what Argentina watched on television, as the programming director of El Trece, one of the country’s main channels.

His career is one of the longest and most influential in Argentine television, spanning more than forty years, and it tells the story of an actor who became a producer, and a producer who became a power broker, without ever losing his connection to the audience. He starred in Poliladron in the 1990s, he founded Pol-ka in 1994, and the company went on to produce Los Simuladores, Son Amores, Sos mi vida, Valientes, Las Estrellas, and Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza, among many others. He has starred in films including Comodines, Un novio para mi mujer, and El fútbol o yo, he directed 30 noches con mi ex in 2022, and he has remained, into his late fifties, one of the most important people in Argentine show business. This is the story of a boy born in Queens who became the king of Argentine television.

Queens, New York and the Return to Buenos Aires

Adrián Suar was born in Queens, New York, on 25 March 1968, to Argentine parents who were living in the United States at the time. His family returned to Buenos Aires when he was still a child, and he grew up in the Argentine capital, in a Jewish family, with a childhood that was, by his own account, ordinary and happy. He did not grow up in New York, and he does not remember much of it, but the fact of his birth there is a curiosity that has followed him throughout his career, a reminder that even the most Argentine of television figures can have an American beginning. Buenos Aires was his home, and it was there that he discovered acting, first in school theatre, and then in the professional world of Argentine television.

Growing up in Buenos Aires in the 1970s and 1980s meant growing up in a city that was going through extraordinary changes, from the military dictatorship to the return of democracy, and from a closed cultural life to an open one. Suar was a teenager when democracy returned in 1983, and he came of age in a Argentina that was rediscovering its freedom, its culture, and its television. He was drawn to acting early, and he began to work as a young actor, appearing in television programmes and in theatre, learning his craft in the demanding world of Argentine entertainment. That early start gave him a practical education, and it taught him how television worked, from the inside, as an actor, before he ever became a producer.

The Young Actor and Pelito

Adrián Suar began acting as a teenager, appearing in Argentine television in the 1980s, at a time when the country’s television industry was rebuilding after the dictatorship. He was a young, energetic actor, with a natural presence on screen, and he quickly found work in series and in theatre. One of his early notable appearances was in Pelito, a teen series that was popular in Argentina, and it gave him a visibility that helped him build a career. He was not a star yet, but he was a working actor, learning his trade, taking roles, and building a reputation as a reliable, talented performer who could be trusted with a leading part.

The young actor years were also the years in which he learned how the business worked. He saw how programmes were made, how decisions were taken, and how the industry operated, and that knowledge would later serve him as a producer. He was not only learning to act. He was learning to understand television as a whole, as a business, as a creative endeavour, and as a cultural force. That understanding is rare for an actor, and it is part of why Suar was able to move from acting to producing with such success. He had seen the machine from the inside, and he knew how to run it.

Poliladron and the Television Star

In 1995, Adrián Suar took the role that would make him a television star: Poliladron, a Pol-ka series in which he played a policeman, in a drama that mixed action, romance, and comedy. The series was a major success, running for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997, and it established Suar as a leading man on Argentine television. He played the role with a charm, a humour, and a physicality that made him popular with audiences, and the show’s success gave him the visibility and the confidence to take the next step in his career: founding his own production company. Poliladron was not only a hit. It was a turning point, because it showed Suar that he could carry a series, and that the audience trusted him.

The series was also significant because it was one of the first productions of Pol-ka, the company Suar had founded in 1994 with Fernando Blanco. Poliladron was, in effect, a proof of concept: a series made by Suar’s own company, starring Suar himself, and it worked. That success gave Pol-ka credibility, and it gave Suar the freedom to produce more series, with other actors, other writers, and other directors. Poliladron is remembered fondly in Argentina, and it is still watched in reruns, a sign of how deeply it entered the culture. For Suar, it was the first great success, and it was the one that made everything else possible.

Pol-ka and the Production Company

In 1994, Adrián Suar founded Pol-ka Producciones, with Fernando Blanco, and the company became one of the most important in Argentine television history. Pol-ka produced a string of hit series over the next three decades, including Verdad consecuencia, Son Amores, Los Simuladores, Soy Gitano, Los Roldán, Sos mi vida, Valientes, Para vestir santos, Farsantes, Guapas, Las Estrellas, and Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza, among many others. The company’s output defined Argentine television for a generation, and its series were watched by millions, exported across Latin America, and praised for their writing, their acting, and their production values. Pol-ka was not only a company. It was a brand, a guarantee of quality, and Suar was its public face.

The success of Pol-ka was due to Suar’s understanding of the audience, his ability to spot talent, and his willingness to take risks. He hired young writers, he gave opportunities to new directors, and he produced series that were different from what had come before, from the action of Poliladron to the cleverness of Los Simuladores to the romance of Sos mi vida. He also understood the business, negotiating with channels, with advertisers, and with international buyers, and building Pol-ka into a company that could sustain itself. That business acumen, combined with his creative instincts, is what made Pol-ka successful, and it is why Suar is regarded as one of the most important producers in Latin American television.

Los Simuladores, Son Amores and the Hits

Among Pol-ka’s many successes, two stand out: Los Simuladores, which ran from 2002 to 2004, and Son Amores, which ran from 2002 to 2003. Los Simuladores, created by Damián Szifron and produced by Pol-ka, was a series about four men who solve people’s problems through elaborate deceptions, and it became a cult hit, praised for its clever writing, its humour, and its originality. It is now regarded as one of the greatest Argentine television series ever made, and it has been remade in other countries. Son Amores, in which Suar himself starred, was a romantic comedy about a man who falls in love, and it was a major popular success, watched by millions. Together, the two series show the range of Pol-ka’s output: clever, original drama, and popular, romantic comedy, both made to the highest standard.

The success of these series, and of many others, established Pol-ka as the dominant force in Argentine television, and Suar as the man behind it. He was not only a producer. He was a tastemaker, a person whose decisions shaped what Argentina watched, and whose series reflected the country’s culture, its humour, and its concerns. Los Simuladores, in particular, is a series that is still discussed, still quoted, and still loved, more than twenty years after it first aired, and its success is a testament to Suar’s eye for talent. He saw Szifron’s vision, he supported it, and he gave it the resources to succeed, and the result was a classic.

Comodines, Un novio para mi mujer and the Films

Alongside his television work, Adrián Suar has had a film career, starring in a series of popular Argentine comedies and dramas. He appeared in Comodines in 1997, a comedy about two policemen, and in Un novio para mi mujer in 2008, a romantic comedy in which he played a man who hires someone to seduce his wife so that she will leave him, a film that was a major box office success in Argentina. He starred in Igualita a mí in 2010, in El fútbol o yo in 2017, a comedy about a man obsessed with football, and in other films that showed his range as a comic actor. His film roles were often comedies, and they played to his strengths: timing, charm, and a natural, relatable presence on screen.

The films were successful, but they were not the centre of his career. Television was, and it remains, his main medium, and his films were, in many ways, an extension of his television work, with the same humour, the same characters, and the same audience. That is not a criticism. It is a sign of an actor who knows his audience, and who gives them what they want, in whatever medium they are watching. His films are popular, they are funny, and they are well made, and they are part of a body of work that is remarkable for its consistency. He is not a film star who dabbles in television. He is a television star who also makes films, and the distinction matters, because it shows where his heart is.

El Trece and the Programming Director

For many years, Adrián Suar served as the programming director of El Trece, also known as Canal 13, one of Argentina’s main television channels, and in that role he was one of the most powerful people in Argentine media. As programming director, he decided what the channel would broadcast, which series would be made, which would be cancelled, and how the schedule would be organised, and his decisions shaped the viewing habits of millions of Argentines. It was a position of enormous influence, and it made him a figure who was both admired and criticised, as all powerful media figures are. He used the position to support Pol-ka’s productions, to promote Argentine fiction, and to compete with the rival channel, Telefe, in a ratings war that defined Argentine television for years.

The role also showed a different side of Suar: the executive, the manager, and the strategist. He was not only a creative producer. He was a businessman, responsible for a channel’s ratings, its advertising revenue, and its public image, and he handled that responsibility with a skill that earned him respect, even from his rivals. He eventually stepped back from the day-to-day running of the channel, but his influence on Argentine television remains, in the series he produced, in the channel he helped shape, and in the generation of producers and writers he mentored. El Trece was, for a time, his channel, and he ran it as an extension of his own vision for Argentine television.

Sin código, El Puntero and the Later Series

Adrián Suar continued to act and to produce throughout the 2000s and 2010s, starring in Sin código in 2004 and 2005, a series in which he played a bodyguard, and producing El Puntero in 2011, a drama starring Julio Chávez that won awards and critical acclaim. He produced Guapas in 2014, Las Estrellas in 2017, and Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza, known as ATAV, in 2019, a period drama set in the 1930s that was a major success for El Trece. Each series was different, and each one showed Pol-ka’s ability to adapt to changing tastes, from comedy to drama to period piece, and Suar’s ability to spot a good story and to give it the resources it needed.

The later series also showed that Pol-ka, and Suar, could work in the age of streaming, producing content for new platforms and new audiences, while maintaining the quality that had made the company famous. ATAV, in particular, was a significant achievement, a lavish, expensive production that was a ratings success and a critical one, and it showed that Argentine television could still produce event drama in an era of global streaming. Suar’s career in the 2010s was not a decline. It was a continuation, with new hits, new formats, and new challenges, all met with the same professionalism that had marked his work since Poliladron.

30 noches con mi ex and the Director

In 2022, Adrián Suar made his debut as a film director with 30 noches con mi ex, a comedy in which he also starred, about a man who must spend thirty nights with his ex-wife. The film was a box office success in Argentina, and it showed a new side of Suar: the director, a filmmaker who could control a production from behind the camera as well as in front of it. Directing was a natural next step for a man who had produced television for decades, who understood storytelling, who knew how to work with actors, and who had a clear vision of what he wanted. The film’s success proved that he could do it, and it opened a new chapter in his career.

The film was also a personal project, dealing with divorce, with relationships, and with the difficulty of moving on, subjects that Suar, who has been divorced, understands from experience. That personal connection gave the film an honesty that audiences responded to, and it showed that Suar, as a director, was willing to draw on his own life, in the same way that he had drawn on it as an actor and as a producer. 30 noches con mi ex was not only a directorial debut. It was a statement that Suar, at fifty-four, was still growing, still learning, and still capable of surprising his audience. That willingness to grow is the mark of a real artist, and it is why his career has lasted so long.

Family, Relationships and the Private Man

Adrián Suar’s personal life has been lived largely in public, and he has handled it with a openness that is characteristic of him. He was married to the actress Araceli González from 1996 to 2002, and they have a son, Tomás. He was later in a relationship with the actress Griselda Siciliani from 2008 to 2016, and they have a daughter, Margarita. He has spoken about his family, about fatherhood, and about the challenges of balancing a demanding career with a personal life, with a candour that many Argentines have found relatable. He is known as a devoted father, and his children are a central part of his life, even as his career has demanded much of his time.

His family life is also a reminder that his career is not only about work. It is about a man who has built a life, a family, and a career, all at the same time, and who has done so in the public eye, with all the scrutiny that entails. He has handled that scrutiny with a grace that is easy to admire, neither hiding his personal life nor exploiting it, and that balance is part of why he is respected. He is not only a producer and an actor. He is a person, and his life, like his work, is full, complicated, and honestly lived.

The Legacy of Argentine Television’s King

Adrián Suar’s place in Argentine culture is secure. He is one of the most important figures in the history of Argentine television, the founder of Pol-ka, the producer of some of the country’s most beloved series, and an actor who has entertained Argentina for more than forty years. His series are part of the national imagination, his company defined an era of television, and his influence on the medium is still felt, in the producers he mentored, in the writers he hired, and in the audiences he shaped. He is, in effect, the king of Argentine television, not by title but by achievement, and his reign has lasted for three decades.

In the history of Latin American television, he will be remembered as a producer who understood his audience, who took risks, and who built a company that produced work of lasting quality. He is a reminder that television can be both popular and good, both commercial and artistic, and that a producer who cares about the audience can also care about the art. His career is a model for producers who want to make television that matters, and it is a career that is still going, with new series, new films, and new projects to come. That is a legacy worth having, and it is one that will last.

He has also been involved in theatre production and in supporting new talent, using Pol-ka as a platform for young writers and directors who might not otherwise have had a chance. That mentorship is a significant part of his legacy, because it means his influence extends beyond his own work, into the careers of the people he helped. A producer who only makes his own shows is successful. A producer who helps others make theirs is important, and Suar is both.

His work in radio and in other media is also worth a brief mention, because his influence has extended beyond television into the wider world of Argentine entertainment, where his name is synonymous with quality production and with popular success.

My Take:

When I think about Adrián Suar, the first thing that comes to mind is the scale. He founded Pol-ka in 1994, and the company went on to produce some of the most popular television in Argentine history, from Poliladron to Los Simuladores to Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is the result of a particular combination: a creative instinct, a business sense, and an understanding of the Argentine audience that is unmatched. He did not only make television. He shaped what Argentina watched, for three decades, and that influence is hard to overstate. He is not only a producer. He is a cultural force, and his career is the story of Argentine television itself.

The second thing is the duality, of actor and producer, because Suar has been both, and he has been good at both. He starred in Poliladron, in Son Amores, and in Sin código, and he produced Los Simuladores, Guapas, and Las Estrellas, and the two careers have supported each other. As an actor, he understood what performers need. As a producer, he understood what audiences want. That double perspective is rare, and it is why Pol-ka’s series were so good: they were made by a man who knew both sides of the camera. Most producers have never acted. Most actors have never produced. Suar has done both, and he has done both well, and that is the foundation of his success.

Los Simuladores is the series I would point to if someone asked me for proof of his taste. The show, created by Damián Szifron and produced by Pol-ka, is one of the cleverest, funniest, and most original series ever made in Argentina, and it is now regarded as a classic. Suar saw Szifron’s vision, he supported it, and he gave it the resources to succeed, and the result was a series that is still discussed, still quoted, and still loved, more than twenty years later. That is the mark of a great producer: the ability to recognise talent, to trust it, and to let it flourish. Suar did that with Szifron, and with many other writers and directors, and Pol-ka’s catalogue is the proof.

Poliladron is the series that started it all, and it deserves to be remembered, because it was both a hit and a proof of concept. Suar starred in it, Pol-ka produced it, and it worked, giving the company credibility and giving Suar the freedom to make more. The series was a mix of action, romance, and comedy, and it established Suar as a leading man, a star who could carry a show on his own. It is also a reminder that the best producers are often the ones who have been on the other side, who have acted, and who understand what a series needs from the inside. Suar understood, because he had lived it, and Poliladron was the result.

His role as programming director of El Trece is another part of his story that deserves attention, because it shows a different kind of power. As the man who decided what the channel would broadcast, Suar shaped the viewing habits of millions of Argentines, and his decisions had consequences for the whole industry. It was a position of enormous influence, and he handled it with a skill that earned him respect, even from rivals. He used the position to support Argentine fiction, to promote Pol-ka’s work, and to compete in a ratings war that defined an era. That is a significant achievement, and it is one reason he is regarded as one of the most important figures in Argentine media.

Son Amores is the series that shows his romantic side, as an actor and as a producer. He starred in it, and it was a major popular success, a romantic comedy that was watched by millions. The show’s success was due to Suar’s performance, to the writing, and to the chemistry of the cast, and it is a reminder that he is not only a businessman. He is a performer, and a popular one, with a charm and a humour that audiences love. Son Amores is a joyful series, and it is one of the most loved of Pol-ka’s output. It shows that Suar understands romance as well as he understands action, and that his range, as an actor and as a producer, is wide.

30 noches con mi ex, his directorial debut in 2022, is the latest example of his willingness to grow. He directed the film, he starred in it, and it was a box office success, proving that he could work behind the camera as well as in front of it. The film deals with divorce, with relationships, and with the difficulty of moving on, subjects that Suar understands from his own life, and that personal connection gives the film an honesty that audiences responded to. Directing at fifty-four is a brave choice, and it shows an artist who is not content to repeat himself. He is still learning, still growing, and still capable of surprising his audience, and that is the mark of a real creative figure.

For a new viewer, I would suggest a simple path. Start with Los Simuladores, because it is the essential series and the best introduction to Pol-ka, then watch Poliladron, because it shows Suar as an actor, then watch Son Amores, because it shows his romantic side, and then watch 30 noches con mi ex, because it shows his directing. That order takes you from producer to actor to romantic to director, and it shows the full scope of a career that has lasted for more than forty years. If you only have time for one series, make it Los Simuladores, because it is a classic, and if you only have time for one film, make it Un novio para mi mujer, because it is the most popular.

One more thought: Suar’s career is a useful answer to anyone who thinks that television is a lesser art than film. His series are as well written, as well acted, and as well made as any film, and they have had a greater impact on Argentine culture than most films ever do. Los Simuladores is studied, quoted, and loved, in a way that few Argentine films are, and that is because television, at its best, reaches people in their homes, night after night, and becomes part of their lives. Suar understood that, and he made television that mattered, and that is a significant achievement.

Finally, I would say this: Adrián Suar matters not only for what he has produced but for what he represents. He represents Argentine television at its best, a medium that is popular, intelligent, and unafraid of taking risks, and he represents the possibility of a career that spans acting, producing, and directing, without ever losing the connection to the audience. He is a reminder that a producer can be an artist, and that an artist can be a businessman, and that the two roles are not in conflict. That is a rare combination, and it is why, after more than forty years, he is still one of the most important people in Argentine entertainment.

There is a last detail that stays with me, which is the way he talks about his work. He speaks about television with a passion and a seriousness that are rare, describing it as a cultural force, not only as a business. That seriousness is part of why Pol-ka’s series were so good: they were made by a man who believed in television, and who wanted to make it better. That belief is the foundation of his career, and it is why his work has lasted. He did not make television to make money, though he did. He made it because he loved it, and the love shows.

His birth in Queens, New York, is a curiosity worth noting once more, because it is a reminder that identity is complicated. Suar was born in the United States, but he is Argentine, in his culture, his language, and his work, and his career is a portrait of Argentina, not of America. That is a useful reminder that where you are born does not define you. What you do defines you, and Suar has defined himself through Argentine television, through Pol-ka, and through a lifetime of work in Buenos Aires. He is Argentine, and his work is Argentine, and that is what matters.

The rivalry with Telefe is another thread worth following, because it defined Argentine television for years. El Trece, under Suar, competed with Telefe for ratings, for talent, and for the audience, and the competition made both channels better. Suar was at the centre of that rivalry, as programming director and as producer, and his decisions shaped it. That competitive energy is part of what made Argentine television so vibrant in the 2000s and 2010s, and Suar’s role in it is a significant part of his legacy. He did not only make good television. He made the whole industry better, by competing.

One more practical note: if you want to understand Argentine television, start with Pol-ka. The company’s series are a map of the medium, from Poliladron to Los Simuladores to ATAV, and watching them is the best way to understand how Argentine TV has changed, and how it has stayed the same. Suar is not only a producer. He is a history, and his career is the story of Argentine television itself, told through the series he made.

Looking ahead, the question is what he will do next, and the answer is likely to be as varied as everything that came before. He could produce another series, he could direct another film, or he could return to acting, and any of those choices would be consistent with the artist he has become. He is not tied to a single role, and that freedom is the most valuable thing a creative person can have. The next chapter is unwritten, but the chapters so far suggest that it will be worth watching.

His children, Tomás and Margarita, are a final detail worth noting, because they are a reminder that Suar’s life is not only about work. He is a father, and he has spoken about fatherhood with a warmth and a honesty that are characteristic of him. His family is the foundation of his life, even as his career has demanded much of his time, and that balance, between work and family, is part of why he is respected. He is not only a producer. He is a person, and his life, like his work, is full, complicated, and honestly lived.

One more thought on his acting: his performances in Un novio para mi mujer and in El fútbol o yo show a comic actor at his best, with timing, charm, and a naturalness that make the films a pleasure to watch. He is not a dramatic actor, and he does not pretend to be one. He is a comedian, and a good one, and his comedy is rooted in Argentine life, in its humour, its anxieties, and its everyday absurdities. That is a valuable talent, and it is one reason his films are so popular. He makes people laugh, and in doing so, he helps them cope, and that is a serious and valuable thing for an actor to do.

One more thought on his legacy: the writers and directors he mentored, from Damián Szifron to many others, are now shaping Argentine television themselves, and that is the truest measure of a producer. His influence lives on in their work, and it will continue to do so long after he stops producing. That is a legacy that few achieve.

Finally, his energy deserves a last word, because at fifty-seven he is still producing, still acting, and still directing, with a drive that shows no sign of fading. That energy is the engine of his career, and it is why Argentine television still looks to him for its next hit.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Adrián Suar born?

Adrián Suar was born on 25 March 1968 in Queens, New York, United States, to Argentine parents. He was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What is Pol-ka?

Pol-ka Producciones is a television production company founded by Adrián Suar in 1994. It has produced many of Argentina’s most popular series, including Los Simuladores, Son Amores, Sos mi vida and Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza.

What was Adrián Suar’s breakthrough series?

His breakthrough as a television star was Poliladron, which ran from 1995 to 1997, in which he played a policeman. It was one of the first productions of his company Pol-ka.

What is Los Simuladores?

Los Simuladores is an Argentine television series that ran from 2002 to 2004, created by Damián Szifron and produced by Pol-ka. It follows four men who solve people’s problems through elaborate deceptions and is regarded as a classic.

Did Adrián Suar direct a film?

Yes. He made his directorial debut with 30 noches con mi ex in 2022, a comedy in which he also starred, about a man who must spend thirty nights with his ex-wife.

Was Adrián Suar the programming director of El Trece?

Yes. For many years he served as the programming director of El Trece, one of Argentina’s main television channels, deciding what the channel would broadcast.